Weekend Tunes: Radio Free Silver Lake Unveils an Autumn in LA Mix

Looking for a weekend mix? Feeling out of touch with LA's indie scene? Have a minute to download a bunch of MP3s? You are?! What a coincidence, because Radio Free Silver Lake this morning unveiled a rich, thick, juicy mix of MP3s that, compiled, constitutes a nice snapshot of LA's offerings in 2009.

We're still digesting all this stuff, but the standout tracks on first listen include the oddly engaging Big Whup track "Cover My Eyes," the Afternoons' Brian Canning's surprising, dancefloor-friendly "Her Figure," and the Monolators' "We Fell Dead (The Sweet Hurt remix)." Our fave so far: Princeton's catchy guitar wrangle "Calypso Gold," which features a little Casio beat and a beautiful arrangement.

It's not all gravy, of course. Any collection of two dozen songs is going to elicit divergent opinions -- that's why they make menus. We're still trying to figure out Geoff Geis and Tyler Sabbag's strangled pop dirge "Men," and Manhattan Murder Mystery's "In the Parking Lot" would be much more palatable if the vocals weren't so in-yr-face. Disclaimer: if you're not a fan of indie guitar bands, this whole thing is going to grate on your after about song five or six. But if you like the rock, you'll like the mix.

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